Fear based behavior

My soft spot for fearful dogs started way back with Jake, the beautiful Doberman who started it all. He was under socialized and thrown into a world that he was not comfortable with. My girl Tilley came to me a meek little thing and I only found out later that she was fearful. Sometimes called "shy" these dogs can display their fear in many forms. The range of behavior can go from standoffish to a display of aggression. But a truly fearful dog does not display unless provoked meaning that they don't run out and growl at people for no reason, they don't approach people. Their behavior displya is a response to an approach to them.

A very good example of this is my boy Luke, he is a confident guy who rarely has his tail down but all that changes when we go to the vets. Luke turns into a true Cujo at the vets, so much so that they have asked me to put a muzzle on him(which I do not do). He growls at anything and everything that moves whether it is an animal or person and he tries his hardest to sound very scary. I do not put a muzzle on him because this would only worsen the problem. Once in the examining room and much explanation they are convinced that he will not bite. He has no intention of biting but only to keep them at a distance. This is his response to a fearful situation, keep them away and everything will be fine.

When I meet a dog that is obviously fearful I react immediately attempting to calm their fears. Not by talking to them or trying to reassure them but ignoring them. This is the only way to help a fearful dog. As I have said before our dogs watch us and learn from us so if your dog reacts fearful you must calm yourself and act like whatever the scary thing is, is no big deal. By trying to calm them through petting or verbal reassurance you only make matters worse.

Your response to someone elses dog who is fearful should be the same. Make like you are not there, if you just walked into someones home and the dog is barking and backing up, they are fearful. Do not give the dog eye contact, eye contact is the most important factor. Turn your body sideways to seem less threatening. A full frontal approach is a dominant behavior and not good with fearful dogs.

And one of the most essential ingredients to helping a fearful dog is patience. You cannot get mad at a fearful dog, this makes matters worse as well. Whatever their fear, whether it be a logical fear or not it is a real fear to them and you need to be patient and understanding.

My Tilley came to me with quite a fear of men, she would lurk around the back of the room growling when a man came into our home. Now through patience and exposure she will seek men out over women, it is quite obvious.

Monday morning-Sterotyping

Good morning, its Monday once again and the start of another busy week. It is hard to get back into the swing of things when you've been away on vacation, but the best way is to just dive in and get at it. This morning I thought I'd discuss stereotyping in dogs. I've heard it all especially with my breed, "poodles can run?" "poodles can swim?" It's about as bad as it can get, but other breeds suffer from preconceived personality traits.

Some of the other wrongs I've heard are "bulldogs are stupid," "can't train a sight hound," "dobermans are mean dogs," and "pitbulls are all bad." These are just a few of the myths that I have attempted to erase when I have been given the chance. Bulldogs are the #2 dog that I work with in popularity and they are amazingly intelligent, funny too. The problem lies with the guardian and their expectations, which are non. How sad to look at your dog and think "your stupid so I won't try."

Same goes for sight hounds who are typically a soft breed and do not do well with harsh choke'm type training. Positive training definitely uses more brain power, you need to think your way around some behaviors especially problem behaviors. But with patience even the toughest cases can be cracked. How a dog is raised has alot to do with how they turn out, just like with humans.

I've met alot of dogs that have completely changed my mind on a preconceived idea that I had in my head about a certain breed. Humans understandably have strong feelings when they have had a negative association to a certain breed. For instance I had several very bad experiences with German Shepherds several years back. One took a large chunk out of my dogs neck and the other continually charged us everytime it was off leash and we happened to be walking by. This dog also bit several people and pretty much terrorized the neighborhood. So it is hard to erase these types of experiences and look at the dog in a new light. Just like in humans there are good and bad dogs, most bad dogs have been left untrained and bored to create their own life. Both of my situations could have been completely eliminated by a little human intervention and control. I have now met lots of German Shepherds that I love, especially one phenominal one that I will write about later.

How many times have you reached over to pet a pocket pooch in someones arms when you are startled by a snarling little beast? This is caused by the people who insist on keeping their dogs in their arms and never allow them to experience life. I know lots of amazing pocket pooches who are real loveable dogs. These dogs don't want to spend their life in the arms of a human, they love to run at the park, swim, hike and enjoy everything that normal sized dogs enjoy.

Pitbulls, the name alone stirs up alot of controversy but I'm going to say what I feel about these guys. I think it is very sad what has happened to the breed and believe that they are a special breed. That said so are alot of other hard type breeds. There are a few breeds that pretty much anyone can have and then there are alot of breeds that few people should have. That is because they are a tougher breed to control, not because they are a bad dog. Some of the worst problems are caused by a strong dog living with a weak guardian, a very bad combination.

To have a pitbull in your family you must be willing in my mind to go above and beyond to make sure that the general population is not proved correct in how they feel about the breed. I have met some amazing pits, loveable, friendly and very loyal. But because they do have a tendency to be dog aggressive as are some other breeds they take more control. I just recently watched a couple of amazing frisbee pits, I've met therapy pits and amazing agility pits.

Some of my training clients have been very upset by the fact that their labrador will not swim, or their golden retriever will not retrieve. Funny but they don't come out of a cookie cutter and even when you get a dog with a preconceived idea of what that dog will be you can be dead wrong. My husband has always wanted a golden retriever and as you know I am a standard poodle person. He now has his golden retriever and I still have my poodles. My boy Luke is golden blond and a retrieving maniac.

We humans commonly assume, and in my books assuming always messes things up in one way or another. So the next time you meet a dog that you have a strong preconceived image of, open your mind. And when you see a poodle on the street, don't assume he just left the salon, in actuality he's probably coming back from a marathon run or duck hunting. ;)

Bloat


This morning I want to discuss a very dangerous medical condition, bloat. Bloat is fairly common but unfortunately alot of people do not know about it. All of my clients have been educated about bloat and anyone I can tell I try to let know about it. Bloat can be deadly killing your dog in a matter of hours.

Some breeds are more prone to bloat, typically the large chested dogs like weimaraners, great danes and even my breed standard poodles, but any dog can be a victim. Bloat is when too much gas accumulates in the stomach which can cause the stomach to twist. This is called stomach Torsion and once it happens it is an extreme emergency.

The exact cause is not known but there seems to be a genetic factor and a link between the amount of dry dog food consumed. It is very important to know that you should never exercise your dog right before feeding them or feed your dog right after exercise. The problem lies in the amount of food in the stomach, when dogs exercise they drink alot of water which can turn a cup of food into double or more.

I am constantly aware of bloat with my own dogs and take the utmost of care to hopefully prevent it from ever happening. I never feed my dogs before exercise and do not feed them until at least an hour after exercise. All dogs should eat twice a day which divides a daily feeding into two. A huge meal once a day can be dangerous. The idea of more being better does not apply when feeding your dog. Keep your dog lean and never over feed.

I am not a vet but I do know of many dogs who have suffered from bloat, some have survived many have not. I have listed three very good resources to read up on the subject and please pass on what you learn about bloat.

http://www.thepetcenter.com/sur/bloat.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloat

http://www.vet.purdue.edu/epi/bloat.htm

Alpha Bitch soup



While I spent the last week at a cottage in Canada there was one day when two family's with dogs came together. One of the family's are at the cottage all the time giving their dog the sense of this was her cottage. The others had only visited rarely and were sort of in a "I don't know where we are," zone. Nevertheless, there were two alpha bitches in attendance. Having these dogs come together had always caused problems so before the introduction I was ready with a hose.

When there is any thought of problems you need to leave leashes out of the picture so all the dogs were loose. Leashes can cause a problem all on there own with keeping a dog too close to its guardian and taking away the flee response. So with hose in hand they were set free. Right off the more resident bitch approached the other two girls with tail held high, hair up with very slow and purposeful body language. The young sheltie got the message right away and turning on a dime and walking away. She had no intention of confronting the "owner" of the cottage.

Now the "alpha" of the non resident pack is a very high strung but mature border collie female. And as soon as they locked eyes I knew there was going to be a problem. They locked necks both growling, tails held high and neither willing to back down. I walked towards them with my own "alpha" body posture and defused the situation. But I knew that this was not going to be easy, both bitches were not willing to give in.

Typically when you want to have a smooth introduction you would take the dogs off the property so that no one felt like they own the place but things don't always work out perfectly and you have to wing it. Through the whole introduction I was narrating to both guardians, my sister and brother to what was going on and what they should be doing. I explained how it was very important not to keep the dogs close to them and that should not be in close quarters just as both bitches attempted to do the stairs to the deck and it errupted.

i had given the hose to my sister and yelled to use it which stopped the fight immediately but both bitches were ready to go again. So with more than four families coming together, children and babies involved we put one of the females away for a long afternoon nap. Which in the searing heat was not such a bad thing. This was not going to be resolved quickly and I had no intention of loosing any of my vacation time floating in the water to watching these two girls fight it out.

It was very interesting to see who was thinking what and how things changed in an instance. The reining female had been put in her place but she had no intention of staying there which meant there was going to be ongoing fights. And looking at the size and mental state of both bitches it was going to be a long drawn out battle. At least one of the girls had stepped down out of the competition which was very good for her.

Usually these issues can be solved with time and very strong leadership but in a setting that is very casual with kids everywhere it is much too dangerous to try to settle such a volatile situation. With one female being the reining cottage dog and very protective of her family and the other an independent type who had taken on the job of guarding her Mom and new baby it was a very explosive situation, one best dealt with by management.

Extended family dogs


Thank heavens for family dogs. I'm away from home and missing my dogs badly, sort of like withdrawal but the pains have been eased by a little interaction with family dogs. My sister has an amazing Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever which I must have taken at least 300 shots of and my twin brother has a border collie and new little sheltie who is cute as a button.

As I have stated before my life revolves around dogs and not having mine around is just plain weird. During my stay at the cottage I spent alot of time with Ruby, my sisters Toller and once she left my brother was there with his two. So although I don't have my dogs I've had some dogs. And because my brother has two I was able to watch some very cool behavior between the two.

I spent the week in the most beautiful cottage country that calls out for dog attendance. There is so much room to roam, a beautiful lake to swim in and boats to ride in all day long. I will be posting some gorgeous shots I took while away in later posts but right now I'm packing up and heading back to socal to see my dogs and preparing for the attach I'll get with one step in the door.

Dog Parks, the good, the bad and the ugly


Dog parks are popping up all over the place as the need for open space to run our dogs in is increasingly difficult to find. Leash laws are understandably very stringent and enforced more so than ever as we hear of loose dog attacks. I often visit dog parks now for a good hour or so of shooting dogs in action and having fun. But what I regularly see at those parks are alot of problems that could be avoided and here's how.

Dog parks can be wonderful and they can be horrible, much depends on the size of the park and the population. Some of the parks I've seen North America are amazing, acres and acres of open space, trails and some even have lakes. Now that to me is an amazing dog park. Not only are these types of parks fun for the dogs but their really enjoyable for the guardians as ell.

What we see in the more densely crowded cities like here in California are a much smaller area fenced that sometimes seems like it can barely contain the contents. Have you ever been to a park on a Saturday or Sunday? They are nuts, dogs wall to wall and lots of noise. They simply are not big enough to safely control that many dogs together at one time. A dog park can be a stressful place, even if it is not hugely crowded it can induce a stress reaction. Lots of strange dogs to meet, interactions and keeping your eye out, its alot for our dogs to deal with. Add that to an area that is too small and contained and the stress level rises.

A dog needs to feel that they have an out, especially when thrown into a situation of being in an unfamiliar pack. When dogs feel that they cannot get away they can become anxious and perhaps more aggressive or submissive. Often at parks there are alot of good dogs who have grown up in a dog park and know the rules. But there is the occasional idiot at the park who loves push everyone around, he is the one causing the problems. But it is an easy fix by having the guardian pay close attention and teaching their dog what is allowed and not allowed at the park.

The issue of guardians at the dog park is huge, you have the good and the very bad. There is one guy at the dog park I see regularly, pretty creepy actually. He comes in with what looks like a scruffy little poodle mix and sits on a side park bench. He sits there enjoying the scenery while his dog humps his leg and if another dog tries to interfere he is pretty possessive about "his" leg. This guardian is not only strange but nasty, his dog got into it once with a smaller dog and when the guardian of the other dog tried to stop it the leg guy went off.

Okay that's a really weird situation but the biggest and most important factor in having a great dog park are the guardians. Yes it is a social place but just like at a childs park, you should never take your eyes off of your dog. It is imperative that you know what is going on at all times. Your dog is completely 100% your responsibility, should you see your dog harrassing another dog or your dog being harrassed themselves, you need to know.

I like the beach parks, they seem to have a much more open feel to them and you don't see as much tension. The dogs are occupied with the water and having fun and not so much with "who's in the park." Both beach and regular parks can transmit some illnesses, mostly in the summer but something to be aware of. Ghiardia is a common illness picked up at a dog park and of course fleas are always nice to share. Ghiardia is an intestinal parasite that can be found on the ground or in the water at dog parks so its a good idea to bring your own water and don't share.

The great thing about dog parks is that the socializing can be wonderful. As long as everything goes smoothly and if something should go wrong that you are there to fix it. It is important to always leave the dog park on a good note so if your dog has a negative experience while there make sure they have a few good ones before you leave. It is great for your dog to meet doggy friends and see them on a regular basis, especially if they live alone.

So when you do visit the dog park try to go when it when it isn't the most crowded time, bring your own water, watch your dog and have fun. And the "more is better" saying is not always true. A good 1/2-1 hour at the park is more than enough, any longer and tempers can be short. The important thing is that you are at the park with your dog to have fun and socialize.

A good night sleep


Isn't it amazing what a good nights sleep can do for you? I had one lastnight and this morning I really didn't want it to end as I curled up and pulled the covers over my head. "I don't want to wake up," is the first thing I think of when I've had a really good sleep. But as it is every morning, I have to get up and get going with my busy day ahead. The reason I am so aware of my good sleep lastnight is that my girls didn't wake me to go outside. My two females have had upset stomachs and I don't know why.

With my plans of going away in a few days this is not what I want to be dealing with. The idea of a pet sitter having to handle this is not a good one. It started last Wed. night with Jessie up in the middle of the night and by Thursday she was fine. Thursday morning Tilley started with some issues of her own but by the afternoon was good also. Whenever my dogs have an upset I start thinking immediately, what's up? Right away I thought the culprit was the disgusting maggot filled rat that I found in my backyard on Tuesday. I don't know how it got there, one minute it wasn't there and the next it was out in the middle of my yard. Had it been dead in the bushes for days until one of the dogs decided to pull it out?

Obviously the dogs had found it as it was in several different locations, nice. So I did my best to clean it up while trying not to have a complete meltdown, this was truly disgusting. So after cleaning it up I hosed the area really hard trying to get any remnants washed away. Then into the house to disinfect myself and try to erase the images that were left on my brain and onto the next chore for the day. Was this the reason my dogs had gotten sick?

Over the weekend I kept a close eye on what was going in and coming out of my dogs. I cooked up some ground beef, rinsed away all the fat and added some really nice white Basmatic rice. We had a great weekend, everyone seemed back to normal until Sunday night at 2:00. I was up several times with Jessie and again Tilley had an upset stomach in the morning. So no fooling around I collected samples and was off to the vet. I spent the day working up photos and preparing for my trip in a couple of days as I anxiously awaited the results from the vet.

The call came in and the dogs have no disgusting creatures hiding inside of them which is great news, but now I have to fiugre out what is going on. Immediately I thought of their food which with all the recalls had crossed my mind. So far I've been very happy with the food and it has not been one on the list. But I had opened a new bag of food recently alont with a new bag of treats before this started happening. So the treats went in the garbage and the bag of food back to the store. The people at the pet store were great, very concerned and more than happy to replace the bag in question with a new one.

So back to my great sleep lastnight, it was a good one for all the dogs and myself. But today is another day, we'll see what happens.

Its Raining, weird!

I was just out watering my flowers when I felt the rain, how weird I haven't felt rain for a very longtime and we surely need it. But it's only spitting and we need a couple days of solid, steady rain. Back home in Ottawa they've had a ton of rain, it must look pretty much like Ireland about now.

The only thing about not getting rain often other than the threat of fires is that our dogs become accustom to non rain weather. The biggest complaint in the rainy season is how to get Fido to go out in the rain. I have this problem myself, not with my poodle girl she is from Canada and loves water weather it is on the ground or coming from the sky. But my California boy and my little Jack Russell are another story, even though Jessie is from Canada.

Jessie was always sort of a sissy about the weather and getting her to even walk on wet grass is a chore let alone go out when it is pouring on her. Luke will go out in the pouring rain if its for a walk or a hike, we've done that and what a mess. But if I want him to go out for a tinkle in the rain? He'd rather not and will hold it until later.

So for dogs who hate the rain the trick is to go back to the very beginning of housetraining and reward your dog with a small treat for going out. You may have to go out there with them in the beginning but they'll catch on real quick. When your dog really dislikes or even hates to do something, giving the a reward for doing it only makes sense. Why should they go out just because you want them to?

Going back to the start will not affect your regular weather visits outside. Sure they'll want a treat but will soon learn they only get one if its raining. My little piglet Jessie would like it to pour everyday just to get that one treat each time she relieved herself outside.

If there is rain in the forecast, break out the cookie jar and add a positive to a negative.

Sunday morning


This morning was quite different than the norm for me. Typically Sunday mornings I enjoy my coffee in bed while my husband takes the dogs on their much anticipated canyon run. Well, this morning my husband is in Alaska so that left me to do the running. It has to be early because I'm not going down in the canyon in the midday heat, no way.

It was interesting to watch the dogs as I got ready, what was going to be the "cue" that Mom was going for a walk this morning? I came out of the shower and nothing, no reaction at all. They were all very comfortable on my bed relaxing. So I got dressed and nothing, but then I grabbed my running shoes and they were off and running. It was the shoes.

So after about 20 min. of searching for my cell phone, everyone was harnessed up and ready to go. After a quick trip out to my xterra alone so that I could prep for the muddy feet that would be returning, we were on our way. Once in the canyon my dogs are set free, or at least the poodles are set free.

Jessie remains on her extension leash because I worry about her darting into the bushes only to be grabbed by a hungry coyote. So the poodles were off, they have a ritual run to the bottom and back as soon as they are off their leashes which works for me, it is a great way to get rid of some excess energy quickly.

Usually we don't run into anyone down there but this morning we met two walker/joggers. Luke was way out in front, he loves to feel like he is leading the pack so every once in a while I switch directions on him just to keep him on his toes. Jessie is more than happy to keep at my speed, she is more interested in smelling than running now at 11 years old.

It heats up quickly down in the canyon and after about 1/2 hour we turned around and headed back to the car. Now cooling off in the backyard the dogs will have breakfast in about another 1/2 hour and they are good for a day of R&R.

Association

Its all about association, that is how dogs learn. Dogs learn their good and their bad through association and most of it has to do with us. Though not all of it has to do with us and they get life lessons regularly all on their own. A life lesson dealt in the form of a guardianless correction can be a good thing but if it is a really negative experience you may then deal with fallout behavior. I was once in a field with Tilley where we were doing frisbee. A man and his young lab were doing the same at the other end of the field when the lab spotted Tilley, you always know when a dog is coming your way when you hear the frantic calls from a guardian. His posture was friendly so I wasn't worried, he really just wanted to come and meet my girl.

In an instant he was on his back, righted himself and was heading back to his owner. This young dog got a life lesson and it had nothing to do with his owner and he will probably not run off again for a long while. As this dog was running to see Tilley he did not see the soccer net before him and hit it full speed flipping him over instantly. He was so stunned that Tilley left his mind and he went back to the safety of his Dad. Being that this was a lab he probably got a great lesson, don't run away.

Had this incident happened to a more sensitive type dog it may have been a problem. He may never consider leaving his guardians side again and have skittish behavior when at the park which then must be dealt with by desensitizing. Another good example how association works is when something happens in a certain area like a room in your home or the car. Wherever the incident happens can be a bad place for the dog if they have a negative association happen there, they won't think about the incident but more so where it happened.

Good association examples are easy to find, like the lid of a cookie jar. If I am looking for my Jack Russell all I need to do is jiggle the lid and she is there. She knows that when she hears this particular noise that there is a good chance she is getting a cookie. Or when you put on a particular piece of clothing or shoes that gives your dog the heads up that you are going for a run with them. My husband runs my dogs every weekend so when he puts on his particular running shorts their ears go up and they watch his every move to see if he is putting on his running shoes as well. If he does the excitement level really goes up, its all assoication.

I recently had to take Tilley to the vet, I know she hates the vet and it is quite a tramatic experience for her. All my dogs know when they are at the vet before we even get in the door but Tilley knew as soon as she got into the car. She was alone and it is very rare these days that she goes out alone. She use to go much more often when she was more involved with frisbee but now that she is 10 she is almost always out with Luke. So to her being put into the car alone was not a good thing and she associated it with a negative. This is something I now have to turn around for her, which will be an easy one one to undo, a couple of fun trips out alone and it will be gone.

If your dog is displaying some unwanted behavior it may be caused by a negative association which you can figure out if you dissect both their behavior and your own. When Luke was young he quickly associated the word "come" to mean that a dog had just entered the park. Because he was not suppose to be off leash I would call him immediately when I saw someone with a dog come in, I knew he would run to meet the people so tried to call him before he saw the other dog and leash him. Before long when I called him he would immediately charge towards the entrance of the park, hows that for backwards training.

So this backwards training needed a tweak and because Luke is such a sensitive guy it took a while to change his association to the word "come." It is amazing to see how it all works, and the fact that you can't explain your way out or into situations with your dog is the reason you need to pay very close attention to what you are doing and what your dog is associating.

If I could talk to the animals

I can talk to the animals and I do. One thing that I have always stressed in working with people and their dogs is communication. Communication in the form of dog language and human language which are entirely different. Dogs communicate mostly with body language and the occassional noise. We humans use our body and words to communicate but we rely more so on the words that we speak. For this reason it is important to teach our dogs as many words as we can, that way when you are rambling away to your dog it is not done in vain.

I talk to my dogs all day long and I love teaching them new words. All of my dogs are very intuned with listening for the important words, the words they understand and have relevance in their lives like hungry, car, walk or cookie. Not only do I talk to my dogs I ask them questions which I know they will not answer by speaking but they do in their actions. When I ask a question like Luke, do you want to go outside? What Luke understands is first I used his name which means something has to do with him, next the phrase "do you want to" which always means something good is coming and "outside" he understands as a destination.

My poodles are more sensitive to the human language than my Jack Russell, that is unless you are talking about food. Then Jessie is on your lap staring into your face listening very intently. When you speak to your dogs they do their very best to get what you are saying, this is evident in the head turning. You will get alot more head turning if you speak jibberish to them and they don't get any of it. Many people think that talking to dogs is really strange and do not indulge in this behavior with their own dog. Those people missing out on a deep connection and the ability for two different species to communicate with one another.

Listening is a very important quality in dogs and one that requires teaching and repetition. You can tell when a dog has a guardian who speaks and communicates with them and when they do not by their reaction to being spoken to. It is an extremely useful tool when you need attention from your dogs. Say for example my dogs see someone out the front window and start their barking frenzy, instead of just yelling at them I will call out one name and ask them what they are doing? That dog will come to me to hear what I have to say, and usually it is to please be quiet and go lay down which is what they do.

As important as it is for us to teach our dogs to listen and understand our language we do the same. I don't know how many times people tell me they don't know what their dog is doing or wants. You have to know your dog and know them very personally to know what they want, like I said they use body language so if you are not accustom to watching your dog you are not going to know when something different is being said.

For example, my son and I are watching television and Tilley is standing staring at him, he occasionally glances her way with a puzzled look. "Mom, why is Tilley staring at me? She wants you to let her outside." So as soon as he gets up off the couch Tilley is out infront running to the door. Staring is a typical behavior of Tilley's so how did I know that she was not just staring in adoration like normal? She was not displaying the normal behavior that goes with adoring her people, there was no touching, leaning of her head or pushing of her body; she had something to say and was attempting to mind meld it into my sons head.

Luke communicates alot, he has alot to tell me about his daily life. If I am on the computer and completely involved with what I am doing he will often come in and gives me a poke or just stare. I ask him "what's up," and he will often take me to where the issue is. More so than not it is a problem with sleeping arrangements, probably someone put a bone on his bed and we all know he cannot lay down on bed if there is a bone on it. Or I will walk into a room to find him head down in a frozen point. He is screaming out "there is a spider in the kitchen" with his body language but if I wasn't watching I could walk right by and never hear about the spider. Oh, Luke is a spider hunter but more about that later.

So with our differences in language we can still communicate, that is if we pay very close attention to what our canines are saying to us.

Why don't dogs come?


Long ago when I was first training and working with dogs I learned the recall. Recall is basically the word for calling your dog and they come but I learned the absolute worst way to get your dog to come to you, by anger and brut force. This was almost 35 years ago and some trainers still use these caveman ways of training. Looking back it is no wonder people deal with the behaviors that go along with this type of training. We would put a dog on the end of a long leash, put them in a stay and walk away. Then turn around and face your dog and call them, encouraging them all the way. But, if they didn't come we were to yank them in, in a serious and firm forceful way. Ya, that really made them want to come in to us.

I honestly don't know what people were thinking back then, I know I didn't know enough to know any better. I, like the other people in my class were listening to our teacher who we though knew all this stuff. The harder we yanked the harder our dogs tried to stay away from us. Why on earth would a dog willingly walk into an attack situation? They wouldn't, it makes perfect sense to stay away and the association to the word "come" become a bad one.

Okay, enough looking back lets go forward. My dogs all come nicely even Luke and I have never yanked, hit or even grabbed them to do it. I teach all my dogs several verbal cues for coming to me. Some are very casual and don't mean that they must come right to me, others are very serious and mean get to me now or else. Now you might be wondering what my "or else" is. I know alot of people who know me and know my training methods can't wait to hear what my "or else" is. I'm such a positive trainer, what if my dogs don't come what do I do?

First your dog must know what "come" means, you can't enforce something if they don't understand it. Enforcing unknown commands is just unfair training at it worse. If my dogs do not come to me I go after them I use my body language and they know I'm mad. I walk very upright and right at them, there cannot be any mistaking what I am saying. Depending on the dog that I am communicating with at the time is the degree of anger in my body. If you use too much for your dog may just turn around and run and that does you no good at all. So you have to be careful with your "or else". What you want to tell your dog is that if you do not come when I call you, I'm coming to get you. And you must teach them the difference between not coming and coming. There must be a clear difference, its great when you do come you get hugs and kisses and lots of praise and often a goody.

Training for a recall should start right away, once you have taught your dog their name the next most important thing is to come. You start in your home by calling and rewarding. Its as simple as that. My word come means to come near me, they don't have to come and sit unless I give the sit command as well. They rarely get a treat but they do have to come. I have a built in whistle which means the same thing and they all come to it, they really seem to like that one. My serious word is "here" and that means you better get to me right away and sit. For my Jack Russell is often means a treat because she has such a movement trigger that I often have to compete with that. My poodles get a treat very rarely and just know that not coming has consequences.

Once your dog starts to understand what come means you start getting some distance between you and your dog. Going outside while your dog is inside and calling them. The most important thing in training a recall is to NEVER associate a negative to your word. Dogs are highly intelligent and if there is something bad about coming, they're not coming. Coming should always be a good thing. So watch how you use your word, be very careful when you use it and if you need to do something like put your dog in a crate or leave a park use another word like "we're leaving" or "kennel" but don't tarnish your "come" word.

As I watch people train and see some of their mistakes some of the biggest are not enforcing. Telling your dog to stay and then not enforcing that they stay or to come and not making sure that they come. Dogs learn that you don't mean a thing you say so they do what they want basically. This is where you can make or break your training. My boy Luke likes to push and often will see how not coming works for him. I will call and see him give me that sideways "I'm too busy to come" look. One harsh sound from me to let him know that I'm not allowing his "not coming" and he is on his way.

Then he gets the snuggies he loves and I love!

Good morning-poodle adoring day


Good morning, again its overcast this morning with a very heavy marine layer. Yesterday I was up and at it early trying to beat the heat for an action shoot. The day before had been nice and breezy so I thought if I shot early it would be nice, nope. It was actually really hot and by the time I was leaving the breeze came up and it was cooling off, go figure. It is suppose to cool down today and then by the weekend heat up again, oh well I'll enjoy the cooler morning today at least.

I have a full schedule this week, lots of shoots and lots of great dogs to meet. I just love meeting all these new dogs, it is so interesting meeting breeds that I've only seen before and not worked with or got to know personally. Its funny how you can have an idea in your head that is so wrong about certain breeds. My own breed is probably the most misunderstood breed that there is. For that fact alone I will not groom my dogs to "look like" a poodle. No one knows what my dogs are and the sheer popularity of doodles these days makes everyone think that they must be doodles.

Even people who should know what they are like dog professionals or other poodle people are thrown by the look of my dogs. I've been told that if I didn't want my poodles to look like poodles then why on earth would I want a poodle? Why would I want a poodle? Are you kidding? The poodlely look has nothing to do with my love of the poodle., nor anyone in my family. In fact when I do shave Tilley's face alone (because her face is too pretty to get all hairy) I am reprimanded by my son.

I have had standard poodles for almost 25 years now and absolutely adore them. Don't get me wrong I love just about every dog out there and do have a difficult time when thinking about adding a new dog to the pack. But it always comes back to a poodle. I've looked seriously at several different breeds like Irish Wolfhounds, Ibizans, Borzois, Pointers and of course Dobermans but I always come back to poodles.

The standard poodle is one of the most utility breeds out there. Very few people know that standard poodles are amazing guard dogs, they are very friendly but will defend their family when the need arises. Of course that is not to say all of them are good guard dogs just like any breed they are all different. Almost all of my poodles have loved water, my two now adore it and Tilley actually submerges her head completely to pull rocks out of the water, great for the teeth. She does dock diving and is an amazingly strong swimmer.

My poodles have done skijorning when I lived back in Canada, what a blast. Poodles do hunt trials and tests, frisbee, search and rescue, therapy work and make wonderful service and seeing eye dogs. There is alot to know about a poodle, far more than their fancy coat. I have grown accustom to the common reaction to having poodles and I don't care I just smile knowing that these people just don't know.

My poodles love to retrieve, in fact it is one of their favorite things to do. Did you know that the poodle was the FIRST water retriever? Even before the Labrador the poodle was out there fetching in the water.

Well I have a busy day ahead of me so I won't go on, believe me I could write a book!!! hmmmmmmmm.

Have a great Wednesday.

Another great dog

I wanted to tell you a little bit about a bulldog I had the priviledge of meeting. The guardians of this boy had lost their beloved bulldog only months before their neighbor got the most adorable bulldog baby. Sadly he was to spend his life outdoors with his companion dog, the neigbors other outside dog.

Day in and day out they would see the two spending their long days with nothing to do in the backyard and wasting away the days. The dogs would cry for attention but when you have a busy life sometimes there doesn't seem to be time for anyone else but yourself.

Finally they told their neighbor that if she ever needed to find a home for that puppy that they would take him. Life is really funny sometimes, things truly seem to happen for a reason. That day came and they gladly took him into their home although they felt heartsick that the woman meant to keep the adult dog which meant he was alone again.

I got the call when he was brand new to their family. "What a huge boy" I had to say when I met him for the first time, and he wasn't going to be gettng smaller anytime soon. He was more or less a blank slate still as he had no life lessons under his belt yet. These guardians were more than eager to help him learn about life and help him to grow into the well socialized community friendly guy that he was meant to be.

He was sensitive, energetic, very enthusiastic, a little hard headed at times but willing to learn and try new things. He didn't seem to know just how big and strong he was as he hurled his huge body at you when he got excited. He had a very loving temperament and I thought he would become a short gentle giant type as he grew into adulthood. He learned quickly and was a great student but more so he had a wonderfully commical personality. I truly believe that bulldogs are the most entertaining and expressive dog breed that there is, they continually make me laugh.

One thing I love about bulldogs is their body language. I've worked with alot of bulldogs and almost all of them simply turn their head away when they are not interested in doing what you ask of them. They turn their head and will not look at you, well maybe only for a second out of the corner of their eye. How can you even keep a straight face when they pull this? I just love them.

After our sessions were up I wished them luck with their new boy and I soon missed seeing him every week. That is the thing when you see a dog every week for a couple of months, you become attached or at least I do. I have tried to feel happy about all the great dogs I get to meet instead of sad that I don't get to see them for long.

Luckily I was in the need of bulldogs to photograph and he was one of the first one I thought of. Several years after our training sessions I was going to see how he turned out, and he turned out great. He is a short gentle giant and is the same very sensitive, expressive and funny guy I remembered. Another life that started out not so great but ended wonderfully.

This very lucky big lug is one that will stay in my memory for a very longtime.

Its got to stop

Today I wanted to discuss some serious business. I've been talking to alot of rescue groups lately and its really getting to me. Everyone has their own opinion to the solution of over population and dumped dogs. Certainly there are many different factors that have a part in it all but to me the biggest factor in so many dogs being dumped are the Pet stores and puppy mills. Spaying and neutering does indeed help but when you have talked to so many people and had a really long look at the big picture it is pretty clear.

I deal with many dog people everyday and the dogs that are simply dumped or brought to rescues or shelters are often linked to puppy mills. Pet stores that sell puppies should be outlawed plain and simple. These stores rely on the awwww factor and hope that their clients have not thought it through. Obviously they want you to buy one of their puppies and you cannot even return them if you change your mind, oh no pet stores have a one way door.

Pet stores are set up for the impulse buyer. I even know people who work for rescue groups who are appauled by puppy mills and pet stores that sell puppies and they themselves buckled under the pressure. You go in just to look and maybe to sway some prospective owners and before you know it your sucked into a pair of the deepest, brownest eyes you've ever seen. But this is only helping the millers to keep pumping out those poor little helpless and innocent animals.

The fact is that good, reputible and ethical breeders do not sell their puppies to pet stores and if you try to convince yourself that they do, you are only fooling yourself. I have had this conversation so many times, "how do you know they aren't from a good breeder?" Because no ethical, reputible breeder who spends hundreds of dollars ensuring that their breeding dogs are fit and healthy and have the puppies vet checked, temperament tested and give written guarantees with their babies are going to hand them over to Joe pet store owner not knowing where or who they would end up with, wouldn't happen.

The people who are supplying pet stores with puppies are doing it to fill their pockets. These people have quickly discovered that the less you put out in feed and medical costs the more for your pocket. The puppies from these horrendous places are often taken away from their mother way too soon leaving them with serious issues. I see serious behavior, temperament and health problems repeatedly in pet store dogs and feel heart sick for families who fall in love with their dog only to loose it to a fatal disease.

It just has to end but how are we going to end this all. Not all millers work from Pet stores, the internet is a huge tool for them now as well. You see the photos of the puppies set up around flowers and pretty blankets all in a row. Which one do you want? Just pick one and its yours.

What you don't see are the parents left in the tiny cages full of filth and sadness, the dogs who are underfed, sick and lonely. No, if you saw those dogs you probably wouldn't buy a puppy would you? The solution starts with us, the people who go into the stores and buy the puppies. If you know a store sells kittens or puppies don't go there, give your business to the stores who have taken a stand against selling puppies.

One small step from you can cause a chain reaction. I will never go in a store that sells puppies, for one I won't give them my business and two its heartbreaking to me. I'm just fed up, dogs deserve our fight for this to end.

Triggering


I often use the word "trigger" to explain a reaction to an action or object. Mostly I use it for dogs who have a very high prey or chase drive. Not all dogs are triggered by the same thing and the reaction to their trigger is not always the same. A trigger can be an approach to a bowl, the reaction a growl. Another type of trigger may be a door bell or leash that turns your dog into a whirling maniac.

The trigger that I want to talk about today is a bad one, movement. Dogs who have a quick trigger to movement are very dangerous to themselves. I have one, my Jack Russell she is so quick to trigger by movement that she rarely is allowed off leash. It is not that she is not well trained or well behaved but she has a hair trigger is movement and her reaction is to run.

This was so evident lastnight when she was out on a really enjoyable walk. It was starting to cool off and my husband and I had taken her alone for a long walk to a park along the canyon. As we came over a hill there was a very long lizard laying across the path. It was not moving and I thought it was dead, my husband picked it up and it didn't mind at all. I told Jessie that this was a lizard as she seemed to have no interest in something that otherwise would send her into a sprint.

The word lizard is well known in our house and if you want to see a bunch of dogs attempting to get some traction out the door just say it. Tonight it was like she didn't even see it, we lay it on the path again to check it out and still she had no interest. She was secure on her leash and I had no intention of letting her get to it but it always puts her in a good mood to even see one typically.

We decided it was safer off to the side so that it would not be stepped on and it slowly started to slither away, Jessie became unglued. Jumping and whining and going her typical crazy self when she sees a lizard. She had no interest in the lizard as it lay still but was triggered by a tiny bit of movement.

Jessie's movement trigger has been the biggest challenge to get under control. I have had to train a word that means something better than movement for Jessie. That word is "here" and for Jessie it almost always means food. Jessie loves food so much that even the trigger of a rabbit usually cannot compete.

But, the trick to catching a reaction to a true trigger is to catch it before it happens or, just at the very start of it. Once they are in full reaction it is just way too rewarding for them to stop. This is very much like a greyhound after a moving object and many other terrier type dogs. If Jessie triggers by a rabbit and I yell out and I mean yell "here," she will almost always stop in her tracks and fly back to me.

It takes alot of training but with a commitment of time and patience most triggers can be managed. Most true triggers can be managed by not destroyed. Jessie is so triggered to movement that I have seen her trigger after a blowing bag only to stop herself mid chase as she realizes what it is that she is chasing.

Positive vs. Conventional

First a quick story, I was shopping for furniture one day with my daughter, we had looked around and were planning a return trip with my husband so I gave the sales lady who wanted my number one of my business cards. She thought it was cool that I was a dog photographer and told me about her young female labrador. She said she was in the throws of finding a trainer and that she had attended a private class with one trainer already and wasn't sure she wanted to return. She told me about the trainer yanking on her dogs collar and becoming so aggressive with her young labrador that she squatted and urinated during the class.

She asked me if this was normal and I know she noticed me cringing as she finished her question. By the look on her face she knew my answer before I opened my mouth. My heart truly hurts when I hear stories like this, imagine the poor little lab in the hands of this brut? Another client of mine was told that she and her husband were going to ruin their dog which was a beautiful and gentle Golden retriever puppy. They were talked into leaving the dog for training and were not allowed to visit. When they did come to pick up their dog they found and underweight, emotionless shell of what they use to know as their bouncy and happy go lucky golden puppy, that's when I got the call.

I've been a dog trainer for a longtime. I was training dogs at the age of 13, but way, way back then there was only conventional training. When I say conventional I mean the type with a choke collar, if the dog does not do what you ask you give them a quick yank on the leash to smarten them up. And the longer the disobedience goes on the harsher the yanks get which brews anger in the "trainer."

Amazingly enough to me there are still conventional trainers out there. With all the information written in magazines, newspapers and the internet about Positive inforcement training there are still the old collar yanking ones not willing to change their ways. I was introduced to positive reinforcement training way back over 15 years ago. When I found out about it I felt like "why didin't I know about this sooner?" For the longest time I felt so guilty about the things I had done in the past but I finally had to let it go.

The years of conventional training I now look back on give me a better understanding of why I hate it and why I train the way I do. I am not a person who only knows one way, no I have been there and understand the difference big time. I think the biggest difference in conventional and positive is the emotion it creates. I remember being in the old classes where anyone who's dog was not performing properly slowly became angry at their dog. I watch people who rely on collar yanking now and see the anger in their reaction to non compliance.

Positive reinforcement is a whole different ball game, it takes more patience and definitely a whole lot more thinking. I had a trainer friend of mine who was just learning about positive reinforcement tell me that she loved the way I thought things through when we were discussing a behavior issue. No two dogs are exactly alike and many times I would get a strange and new reaction behavior from a clients dog. I would then say "hold on, I need to figure this out." Why was this dog acting this way to a common behavior that I used on a regular basis, what was the difference here?

Dogs can do strange things and if you watch long enough and hear the guardian's explanation of background behavior it can almost always be explained. Not that the explanation always helps, sometimes you just need to move on from the cause to the solution. Often a behavior can be quickly solved by one tiny step from a guardian. I love dog behavior, I could honestly watch canines interact with other canines or with people for hours. I love the new guardians who have opted for using positive reinforcement, it has created a whole new breed of caregivers. And that is great news for all dogs.

San Diego Dog Beach


I spent quite a while yesterday at the dog beach, dogless. I was there with my camera and it is a whole lot different being there as a spectator only. Most of the people are more than happy to have their dogs photos taken, they really beam when I choose them out of a crowd. I rarely shoot a dog without asking first but sometimes the situation arises where the dog is displaying some cool behavior before I have had the chance to ask. Then comes the fun of trying to locate this dogs person, not always easy but I always seem to be successful.

Not all guardians are as careful about watching their dogs every move at the beach. Some get to the beach, find a great spot and park it. They know there dog is at the beach but don't know where. I guess being a Mom really factors in when I'm at the beach, I figure it is just like kids you don't take your eyes off of them. After all you are solely responsible for your dog and their actions. Others do not want to be in charge of your dog, they have their own dog or dogs to watch over.

This was very obvious from several incidents that I witnessed. One was a very nice looking German Shepherd who was obviously trying very hard to dominate a pug. The pug was not being hurt but seriously harrassed. This went on from the minute I arrived and was still going on as I left the beach. I felt badly for this poor put who had a constant shadow creating dominator standing over him. I don't know who the Shepherd belonged to but they definitely were not doing their job. What an annoying behavior that is easily remedied by a guardians intervention.

Another was a mix breed who had found a very timid and insecure pocket maltese to intimidate. Out in the chest deep water which was about an inch deep in actuality due to the extremely tiny size of this dog. She was being contantly charged, obviously this mix breed had found a game in his undersized apponent and was enjoying every minute. The undersized maltese was screaming her head off, no doubt feeling very terrorized and calling for backup. Although I do feel that no matter what size your dog is they need to learn to deal with other dogs, of course there is a size factor. You do need to be a little more protective over a 3 lb dog versus a 70lb dog.

There is a point where you do need to save your dog but more so the attacker should have been the one stopped. Finally the tiny white figure whot was stuck in the waves which were now washing over her micro body was saved by Dad. But the attacker continued to jump after the now very relieved little white dog. Usually when an incident happens at the beach it is due to the lack of attention paid by guardians. You've got to watch your dogs and make sure they are playing nice.

All in all a great day at the beach, what fun to watch so many dogs having so much fun.

Choosing a puppy-become color blind


Good morning, the sun is shining already and I woke up thinking it was Friday. Well, its not Friday but its close to Friday. I'm heading down to San Diego this morning and hope to get some nice ocean/beach shots as well as some canine ones of course.

I do puppy consultation for alot of people and one of the least important items on the subject of choosing a puppy is color or at least it should be. Now, depending on the breed you choose there may not be that many different colors to choose from. But in my breed there are quite a few and now even partis and phantom combinations are growing more popular.

When I think about the addition of another dog (not that I'm thinking about it now, much anyway) the only thing I do know is that it cannot be black. Not that I don't like black dogs but living in Southern California to me is an obligation to work at keeping your dog cool. My dogs hike alot so keeping a black dog cool on a hike is quite a job. And being a trainer and photographer, black is not the best color to shoot or see eye communication.

What people typically tell me is that they want a white female or a dark red female or male. When you choose a puppy it should be for the puppy and not for what color or markings they have on them. The days of choosing a puppy because the kids love the one with the spot over its eye should be gone for good. That adorable looking puppy could be the worst dog for your family.

No matter what breed of dog you are choosing hopefully the breeder is doing some sort of temperament testing and giving you the option of a couple of puppies that would best suit your family needs. Because my breed is standard poodles I often hear the color remark and tell people that whatever color they end up with will soon be their favorite.

I recently did a really quick assessment of a mixed breed litter. At a quick glance there were two that stood out color wise and one whopping girl. I like to do the males first, don't know why but it is very interesting to compare the boys with the girls. In this litter the first two girls were very dominant, definitely not for the inexperienced and the very last and largest puppy was a dream.

What if you as an unexperienced canine guardian went in and picked one of the little different colored girls because they did look different from the others. You brought this little bundle home only to find out you were in for the fight of your life? She was not giving up her dream of being Alpha in the home and your kids did not get the dog they always wanted.

This is the type of thing that happens when you choose a puppy for exterior instead of interior. So, if you are going to look at a litter and the breeder does not give you any guidance with regards to who would be the best puppy for you go in color blind. Take each puppy out individually and meet the dog inside.